The American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is a large species of flamingo native to the Neotropics. It is the only flamingo that naturally inhabits North America.
The American flamingo is a large wading bird. Most of its plumage is pink, giving rise to its earlier name of Rosy flamingo and differentiating adults from the much paler Greater flamingo. The wing coverts are red, and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. The bill is pink and white with an extensive black tip. The legs are entirely pink. Adult American flamingos are smaller on average than Greater flamingos but are the largest flamingos in the Americas.
The American flamingo inhabits South America’s north coast, the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and some of the Caribbean islands. There is also a small isolated population that inhabits the Galapagos Islands. It is the only flamingo that is native to North America. It lives in a wide variety of freshwater and saline habitats such as lagoons, estuaries, coastal and inland lakes, and mudflats.
American flamingos are threatened by human disturbance and habitat loss along the Caribbean’s coastal wetlands.
IUCN Red List estimates the number of mature individuals to be around 260,000-330,000 birds. Overall, the numbers of this species are increasing today, and it is classified as least concern (LC).
American flamingos eat large amounts of crustaceans, aquatic invertebrates, and algae, and so have a big impact on these populations.
Flamingos live, feed, and breed in large flocks, which may number thousands of individuals. When mating and interacting with others in the colony, they use highly ritualized displays. Most of the day American flamingos spend feeding. They are shy and fly away if disturbed. Both adults and juveniles spend most of their time feeding, preening, and resting. Each individual becomes aggressively territorial when foraging for food. A bird claims a "territory" and doesn’t allow others to come nearby. If one does come too close, the bird that has been offended will exhibit threatening displays in warning, so that the intruder will leave. A colony establishes distinct areas where the birds can freely interact, the drinking area being one such place. Like other flamingo species, American flamingos will migrate short distances to ensure that they get enough food or because their current habitat has been disturbed in some way. While their flights are not as long as other migratory birds, flamingos still fly for periods without eating.
American flamingos are monogamous, with strong, long-term pair bonds. They engage in group courtship displays, thousands of birds turning their heads, bowing their necks, or raising their wings in spectacular synchrony. These displays make sure that the colony members are all ready for mating at the same time. These birds mate after the rainy season, typically in spring or summer. The parents both build the nest. Usually, just one egg is laid and is incubated by the male and the female for 27 to 31 days. Both parents feed the chick, with the typical “crop milk” that is secreted in the adults’ upper digestive tract. The chick is brooded for about 5-15 days, and then it gathers with other chicks in large crèches which several adults look after. It fledges at about 70-75 days old and becomes reproductively mature when it is 3-5 years old.
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